The Smart Car: Not So Smart

So, Philly Carshare has a Smart Passion (it's $8.90 an hour), so I took it to the grocery store today:

Yeah, it's tiny. Check those wheels - crying out for rims, aren't they? Do they make rims that small?

More pics and my evaluation after the jump.

Controls:

Crappy picture, but the gist is the layout is pretty standard and bare-bones. Temperature control is the sliding knob next to the right vent, and it's in degrees, which is nice. Seat heaters and door lock controls are also on the center console.

Ignition is next to the gear shift. Note the +/- next to Drive - that's an optional manual shift. More on that presently.

The trunk is normal size for a small car, neglecting the fact that there is no rear seat:

First complaint: Strangely for such a micromini vehicle, the length of the rear gate is actually an impedient to getting all your groceries out. You can fold the seats forward, but it's still tight reaching back there.

There is this sort of hidden compartment in the tailgate:

I guess this is to secure small things that would otherwise bounce around and roll under the seats, because guaranteed if that happened you'd need to disassemble the whole car to retrieve them. Kinda useful.

So, how did it drive? Like crap. I mean, what a joke. This is the engine you get for $12,000-$15,000? You can select automatic transmission or the manual shift, but either way, it's the same: When you shift, it bogs down, every time, even if you mash the accelerator. There's no tach, but I doubt it would help even if there were. I only drove it for an hour on surface streets, and it was actually tiring. The Car Talk guys once labeled the Mini Sport "a go-cart on stilts", but that's only because they hadn't driven the Smart yet. Consumer Reports also gives it the thumbs down, and recommends you look at the Honda Fit ($14,000-$16,000) or the Toyota Prius ($21,000-$24,000) instead.

But aside from the crappy driving experience, how was it? Crappy. First of all, there is nothing between you and the front bumper. You better hope those airbags work in a head-on, because otherwise you're ground meat.

Next, the apparent quality of construction is low. When you get into a Mini, the quality surprises you until you remember BMW makes it. When you get into the Smart, you wonder when it will fall apart. So not only is it not worth the $12,000-$15,000 they're charging, it will likely not hold its value, especially as the novelty wears off.

Who should buy this car? Stupid people who want to attract attention to themselves. Companies who want to put their logo on it to attract attention, because everyfuckingbody looks at the thing, at least for now. And golfers who think they need to do 55 at the course and consequently need airbags.

Comments

[RepubAnon]

If you live in an urban area with limited parking, a smart car looks good, too.

[mds]

If you live in an urban area with limited parking, a smart car looks good, too.

Yeah, Mithras, perhaps next time you should try one out in an urban area with limited parking, and then get back to us.

[Alex]

Aren't these made by Mercedes,though? I would have thought the build quality would be better.

As a bicyclist, I completely support people buying these, though - they seem so easy to tip over, and in a collision I might atually have the upper hand.

[Mithras]

mds-
Since Center City doesn't cut it, I'll try one in Hong Kong.

Alex-
I always thought it was about where the thing hit you, not how big it was. If it's low to the ground, it's likely to break your leg and throw you over it. If it hits you in the ribs, it'll knock you down and maybe that's the end of it, or maybe they run you over, too.

My advice: Invent personal airbags for bicycles.

[Nan]

Thanks for the review. I had been wondering if they were as impractical and unsafe as they looked.

[Tom Hilton]

I'll put a good word in for the Honda Fit. Handles nicely (I actually enjoy driving it, which is saying a lot), eminently parkable, and the interior is indeed (as one of the Balloon Juice commenters described it) "TARDIS-like". Terrible name, but we decided to just go with it, and named ours 'Hissy'.

[Mithras]

Tom-
Hilarious. I've never named a car, though I have called some names. There's a real name your car/naming your car never occurs to you divide.

[Sadly, No!]

Well, one's impression of the safety of a car isn't really a good measure of actual safety. The fact is (to quote a popular troll on S,N!) that the smart ranks very well for a small car. (For those inclined to read German.) Resale value here (i.e. Germany) for smarts is very high, owing to the fact that they have proven to be extremely reliable.

I haven't seen the smarts as they're sold in the US, but the ones here don't give (me) an impression of low/poor build quality.

They are (far too) expensive (try 10K Euros incl. VAT), but to be honest I found the engine fine for a small car that isn't intended to spend much time on the highway. (Its top speed of 90 mph is electronically limited -- the engine could do more, but there's only so much a small car can be expected to manage in a collision at a higher speed).

[In the interest of full disclosure, I will note that my wife and many friends was/are employed by smart.]

[Emma Keir]

I ran an original 600cc smart for five years and loved it. I got my first ever speeding ticket in the smart (My previous car was a Citroen CX GTi) The computer s adaptive, it learns your driving style. The trick to a smooth ride is to leave it in auto and not to move your right foot. Gentle acceleration, smooth changes at low revs. High acceleration it hangs on to the red line before each change. What killed it for me was Mercedes labour rates or I would still have it. These days I drive a Honda Insight and I can service that myself.